Matt Fuller, Vince Cain and Zach Barnes are working their butts off these days. On a recent Saturday afternoon, Fuller and Cain, along with a couple other helpers, were busy building out a 3,000-square-foot space in the Highlands in preparation for opening Great Flood Brewing, their new craft brewery. They were hoisting a roof piece … Continued

While most men his age are enervated — retired or soon to slow down — Steve Beshear is invigorated. The governor always gets 15 seconds of network fame in the Winner’s Circle after the Kentucky Derby. But this silver stallion became a sought-after spokesman for Obamacare last October, when kynect.ky.gov gained national prominence as one … Continued

A new year … hmph. I’m inclined to think of a “new year” much like Janis Joplin describes “tomorrow” in “Ball and Chain” — Tomorrow never happens, man. It’s all the same fucking day, man. It’s another day to get it right or continue fucking it all up. At the beginning of last year, I … Continued

Compassionate Kid Regarding the Guest Commentary column in the Dec. 25 LEO Weekly by Devin Brown: It appears Devin has learned one of the greatest and most difficult lessons of life at an early age — to have a compassionate interest in others. To have this awareness while still in high school is wonderful. The … Continued

Director Park Chan-wook (“Oldboy”) made his English-language debut with “Stoker,” a beautifully shot, unsettling gothic coming-of-age tale. It could be his best work yet. Strong colors drip from every inch of the screen, and the strange family dynamic feels both melodramatically gorgeous and frighteningly inappropriate. Shane Carruth’s low-budget sci-fi “Primer” has grown in reverence since … Continued

Five or six years ago, I was in Asheville, N.C., and happened into a restaurant that boasted Sriracha wings on the menu. Of course, I had to try them — they were good, but not great. But hey, I figured it was about time someone used Sriracha on chicken wings. I expected a trend. To … Continued

Today, let us consider the incredible egg: a gift of nature that’s supremely edible when we handle it right, but when it’s raw or overcooked, not so much. You see, eggs coagulate, a process the American Egg Board explains as “the denaturation of protein, which is when proteins lose their native, water-soluble structure and become … Continued

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer sat down with LEO Weekly last week to discuss various issues facing the city this year and his plans to address them. Here’s a recap of our conversation, with some background. ••• In late December, credit ratings agency Standard & Poor’s downgraded the Louisville Arena Authority’s bond debt for the Yum! … Continued

The summer of 2011 saw a lot of Kentucky in the news, not for basketball or thoroughbreds but for a string of scandals that made up what Appalachian novelist Silas House calls the “summer of hate.” In his play “This is My Heart for You,” the writer delves deep into issues of homosexuality and harassment … Continued

There are a lot of popular doorstop-length novels now. Subplots can be interrupted by diversions and most readers won’t bat an eye. Short fiction seems to be a specialty that can only be entrusted to certain capable individuals. And flash fiction? The list of capable becomes even shorter, as this very short form has always … Continued

THIS WEEK’S TWIN PEEKS: LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER 2014; $31.98; PG-13 Inspired by the life of Eugene Allen, Forest Whitaker is terrific as “Cecil Gaines,” the titular White House servant who discretely served eight presidents over 30 years. Frankly, the other casting choices — Robin Williams as Dwight Eisenhower, John Cusack as Richard Nixon, Alan … Continued

January is the most popular month for divorce — if you’re headed for splitsville, here’s a primer You can exhale. Publicly placed P.A. speakers have stopped blasting holiday music, which means you can silence your internal debate over which Christmas song you hate more, “Little Drummer Boy” or “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” People will stop … Continued

For the good times The great country music singer Ray Price died on Dec. 16. He was 87. In the late ’50s and early ’60s, his signature 4/4 shuffle “Ray Price beat” totally defined the sound of honky-tonk music. Price had an ear for finding great musicians and great songs. He had more than 40 … Continued

Ronnie McCoury makes a good point. While Kentucky is rightly famous for giving birth to bluegrass music, a convincing argument can be made that in the late 1950s and early ’60s, the neighboring cities of Baltimore and Washington, D.C., were in reality the capitals of the banjo, mandolin and high lonesome sound. “That whole area … Continued

<SCIENCE> Through Jan. 8-11 ‘Inspired Science’ Louisville Free Public Library 301 York St. • 574-1611 lfpl.org Closing reception: Jan. 9, 7 p.m. We talk about Miley too much. How about we focus on smart people and important stuff instead? Let’s start with “Inspired Science,” the current exhibit at the main library downtown. It focuses on … Continued

Readers are strongly encouraged to call ahead to verify these listings. To get your musical act listed, send email to pberkowitz@leoweekly.com with PLUGGED IN in the subject line. The deadline is FRIDAY at NOON the week before the show happens. We do not accept listings via social networking sites. Wed JAN 8 Air Devils … Continued

Record roundup Each year, more than 100 records are released by local artists — full-lengths, EPs, 7”s, 12”s, compilations, remixes and reissues. While some acts still release CDs and a few issue cassettes, many are sticking with vinyl and/or downloads. It’s a big challenge for the local music fan to keep up with everything; even … Continued

In St. Louis, a surplus cargo container on a vacant lot will soon act as a small business incubator for local restaurateurs. On site, produce will be grown. Elsewhere in the city, another vacant lot will be developed into a sunflower garden that will improve soil quality and produce marketable goods like flowers, seeds and … Continued

Q: Is there a term that is preferred to “transgendered”? I recently wrote an article that described a MTF person I know as transgendered. The article was positive about transgendered persons I have known (she is one of many). Upon seeing a draft prior to publication, this person flipped out so hard that I felt … Continued

Mr. Bungle’s Trey Spruance has spent years crafting an unorthodox and expansive musical universe in Secret Chiefs 3, one shrouded in mystery and unpredictable cross-genre pollinations. Like past efforts, Folio A sports a prominent orchestral component that supports and threads throughout. This adds a colorful veneer to the swirling Persian mysticism of “Balance of the … Continued

When an A student consistently turns in great work, “safe” is graded more harshly. So goes Black Radio 2, the follow-up to pianist Robert Glasper’s Grammy-winning star turn. Beyond a couple forgettable appearances, this sequel efficiently and pleasantly checks off all the boxes for Sunday housework. We get some plain, good R&B, with the effortless … Continued

After alienating mainstream fans with the puzzling, atonal / / / Y / , M.I.A. retreats to well-trodden territory on Matangi. Bass-heavy, collage-style production takes cues from international dance styles and old-school American hip-hop, while Maya’s verses, as usual, vary from insightful critique to cringe-worthy clumsiness. Thankfully, this one is far more melodic than its … Continued

Thee Flying Caskets exhibit very little pretense to be anything other than fun times rock ’n’ roll/punk. Fortunately, the fun in this record doesn’t come at the cost of a well-crafted song, nor is it meant to imply any immaturity. Built solidly around the traditional guitar/bass/drums, Thee Flying Caskets utilize organ sounds, and vocal harmonies … Continued

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